Player Updates

1419461433

Braves, A.J. Pierzynski agree to deal

by R.J. White | CBSSports.com

The Braves have agreed to a deal with catcher A.J. Pierzynski, CBSSports.com baseball insider Jon Heyman reports. Pierzynski's deal is expected to be for about $2 million, but it won't be finalized until January.

Pierzynski will fill a veteran presence to complement young catcher Christian Bethancourt, and the agreement also means the Braves are serious about moving forward with Evan Gattis in left field full-time, according to Eye On Baseball.

Pierzynski hit .251/.288/.337 in 338 at-bats between Boston and St. Louis in 2014. However, he managed to smack a combined 44 home runs over his previous two seasons.

Braves catching prospect Christian Bethancourt has been placed on the disabled list at Triple-A Gwinnett, due to a left hand contusion. Bethancourt is hitting .268/.292/.393 in 313 at-bats at Gwinnett, and shouldn't be out long.

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said Wednesday that the team has no plans to move Evan Gattis to a different position when he returns, meaning Christian Bethancourt will likely be sent back to the minors when Gattis is activated, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

An excellent defensive catcher, Bethancourt has hit .281/.324/.313 in 32 at-bats over eight games since joining the Braves. There was speculation the team could be entertaining a positional shift of Gattis even before his back injury. However, it appears the Braves will stick with Gattis behind the plate and let Bethancourt continue to develop at the Triple-A level.